We're considering heading up to New England next year - trying to get an idea of different areas to visit in the upstate New York, New Hampshire, Vermont or Maine areas. Possibly may head to Acadia NP, but what else would be good in the region? We typically head west to the Rockies and have absolutely no idea of what's in the region. We DON'T do RV parks, preferring to stay in nice state parks or national forest campgrounds (preferably with electricity if there is such a thing). We prefer privacy, not parking lot campgrounds. Thanks!

The Adirondacks are worth visiting - beautiful (eastern) mountain scenery, and there's Lake Placid, site of the winter Olympics twice. Although it's not a state park, the Lake Placid KOA is beautifully wooded and a really nice place to stay. One thing - eastern state parks tend not to have hookups in the campgrounds. Some will have electric, but many do not. Another possibility for you: Watkins Glen SP in the Finger Lakes region. Beautiful park - haven't camped there, but the Glen trail is amazing.

Letchworth State Park just south of Rochester NY. Known as Grand Canyon of the East.

Second Watkins Glen and, Letchworth. If you want to check out Niagara Falls, we suggest Four Mile Creek State Campground. Beautiful on Lake Ontario. RV sites are electric only, but the premium ones back up to the lake. We are in Acadia now. The NP parks do not have electric, so that was a little to primitive for us. We are staying at The Narrows Too across from Mount Desert Island. For the area, it had the biggest sites and is one of the newest parks in the area. Full services, heated pool and super clean. The easiest way to get around on the Island is the Island Explorer and the park is on its route. We checked out all the other RV parks in the area for a return trip back and we would stay at Narrows Too again with the second choice being Bar Harbor Camoground. There is also a very nice and clean family park in Ellsworth called Forest Ridge Campground which is reasonably priced.

Oh Man - Where to Start... Unless you have specific ideas where you want to go, I can't help a whole lot. If you can, you should get to Fort Ticonderoga, but if you don't climb well, forget Mt. Defiance. (a great story goes with that.) That area is loaded with state and national forest. When we camped there, it was pitch a tent time and I never paid attention to RV stuff. Not a lot less than I might pay now. Camping is available all over, but it may be kind of tight in season, I wouldn't know about that. Be ready to stop and take in the view and also clear the tailback. Matt

Upstate NY/NH/Vermont/Maine | Good Sam Community

Crowe
Explorer
Sep 10, 2013
John, you are correct. The basketball Hall of Fame is in Springfield, as is the Springfield Armory Museum.
Haley
Explorer
Sep 10, 2013
One of my last trips up here I passed by the Boxing Hall (near Syracuse NY) of Fame; the Baseball Hall of Fame (Cooperstown NY) and the Basketball Hall of Fame (Springfield MA?).

On my list is also Croton Point Park for its ease of access to NYC.
Community Alumni
Sep 09, 2013
Come up and visit Ausable Chasm in the NY Adirondacks where our seasonal site is. There's lots to do for the kids. The campground has some 50-amp sites and wifi. From here you can take the ferry to Burlington (Vt) for a day trip and visit there also. The Burlington city beach is nice and so is the Ausable Point state park beach just a couple miles from Ausable Chasm.

http://www.ausablechasm.com/
Mick9064
Explorer
Sep 09, 2013
My vote is for North Beach Campground in Burlington VT. On Lake Chanplain and walking distance to town. Lots to see and do. Bike path along the lake. We are going there this week and have water, electric and sewer.
Mick
s1214
Explorer
Sep 08, 2013
If you like nature with a little history, then Fort Ticonderoga with maybe a side trip to Fort Independence. Both provide good scenic views of Lake Champlain. For a scenic crossing of New Hampshire, how about either 302 or the Kancamangus.
Norskeman
Explorer
Sep 08, 2013
Length of you rig will impact getting into to some state parks.

We have a 34' fifth wheel.

State Parks in New York

Higley Flow State park - just outside the Adirondack State park - day trips to the thousand Island area and Adirondack State park. great for canoeing an kayaking
Sampson State park
Cayuga Lake State park.
Keuka Lake State park
Wellesley Island State Park
Lakeside Beach State park
Golden Hill State park.
Allegany State park
vermilye
Explorer
Sep 08, 2013
One thing you should consider is whether you want to cross NY (and the rest of the trip) on interstates, or take the more interesting secondary roads. For example, the Seaway Trail across NY is mostly 2 lane roads through many small towns, but is far more interesting than I90 (and less expensive). Branching off the Trail near Watertown, NY lets you eventually get to US 2 across Vermont & New Hampshire. I like Lamoine State Park in Maine rather than the more crowded Arcadia National Park, which is in easy driving distance from Lamoine.

My last trip was to Nova Scotia from Central NY. While I stayed in some commercial campgrounds, when possible it was state and provincial parks, with as little interstate driving as possible. Rather than list all the routes & campgrounds here, most are listed in the journal of the trip.
Veebyes
Explorer II
Sep 08, 2013
One time in the area we did the northernmost route across VT, NH & ME. Those states are not easy to cross but it sure was a pretty ride.
popupcamping
Explorer
Sep 08, 2013
Mount Washington in The White Mountain region of NH has to be a stop. Nothing is more scenic than that in NE.

I think state parks with electric will be tough to find. I never have much luck
rmnpcolorado
Explorer
Sep 08, 2013
Good ideas so far. I'll reiterate that we have spent NO time in this area, so I have no idea of what's up there except for Niagara Falls. Coming from Wisconsin we'd work our way across hitting upstate New York, through New Hampshire and Vermont and up into Maine. We don't do all the commercial stuff, opting to just peruse the areas and check out neat scenic areas, maybe thrown in some hiking etc. That's why I asked about state parks/national forest areas. I prefer to avoid big cities.